Still Waters
by skywolf666
Summary: The questions swirled without answer for the last three years of her life, and the dark-haired tactician wasn't prepared when she and hers traveled to that ruined battleground where the Wellspring of Truth resided. Only one question seems to remain for her now, whether to look into the still waters and learn the truth, or turn her back on the past to embrace her future. SkyexChrom.


It had been a hard-fought battle, one that had pushed both her and her army to its utmost limits in their desperation to win it. The small ruined battleground had been difficult to manoeuver in and their opponents, being mirror images of the soldiers who had been brought in to fight hadn't made the job any easier. Every single spectre had been as strong, agile and as skilled as the warriors they had been copied from, and were just as difficult to fight in honest combat. Skye exhaled slowly with exhaustion, and she leaned back against the cold stone walls as she listened to the sounds of her comrades licking their wounds and assessing the damage. Weaponry was broken and armour was battered, but thankfully there hadn't been a single injury that had been beyond the ken of their healers, and for that the dark-haired tactician was more than grateful.

Sighing slowly again, Skye twisted her head somewhat to gaze out at the soft blue glow that emanated from deeper within the ruined castle. She had only managed a small glimpse of the spring during the battle, and had forced herself to cast out all thoughts of it when those copied spectres had begun their advance. Now, in the silence of the ruins where the spring dwelled, with the battle over and her comrades safe... It dominated her thoughts and pulled incessantly at the worst and most deep-rooted fears she had.

'A spring... that reveals the true self...' Skye ran a bandaged hand tiredly through her hair, but no matter her strength she couldn't force herself to look away from the pale glow that the spring was giving off in the distance. It lit up the broken halls of the ruin and shed an eerie light all the way to the entrance, and though she had been close enough to hear Aversa's scream of anguish when she had gazed into the waters, she couldn't help but wonder what she would be shown if she dared to do the same. 'If I looked... what would I...?'

"Skye."

Jerking like she'd been struck, Skye's left arm made a jump for her belt on instinct only for a pulse of pain to clear her senses and remind her that the person calling for her was her husband. She grimaced despite herself as she held her bandaged arm to her chest, and she turned completely to see Chrom watching her with a mixture of surprise and contrition. "C-Chrom..."

"Sorry... I didn't mean to startle you." Chrom apologized quietly, and he reached out to gently stroke the shape of her cheek as she sighed and relaxed with obvious relief and exasperation. She leaned into his hand, forcing a bit of a smile to her face at his gentle caress, and he returned it awkwardly as he took her completely in. She looked as exhausted as he felt, with her left arm bandaged from fingertip to elbow and several other cuts and bruises dotting her bared skin. She had thrown away her cloak and armour to give herself a chance to breathe and cool down like many of the others once the battle had been over, and he stroked the lattice of bandages about her arm as he asked softly, "How's your arm?"

"Sore, but Lissa said it will heal just fine." Skye answered with a little nod, and she rested her hand lightly over his as he gave her wrist the softest of squeezes to show his honest concern over her wounds. The question of her well-being however brought his immediately to her mind, and she nodded at the shoulder she knew she was dislocated or at the very least badly sprained as she returned, "And what about your shoulder?"

"Sprained, but it's nothing I can't handle. Considering things, I'm lucky to have come off so lightly." Chrom replied with a little shrug, and he joined her in leaning against the wall before she returned the caress he had given to her wounds. She let her hand drift down his arm, tracing the shape before she slid her hand into his and entwined their fingers together. He returned her grip carefully, then let out a sigh of his own as he muttered, "It was a difficult fight..."

"Indeed it was." Skye agreed with a shake of her head, but there was no sourness in her voice as she commented on the difficulty of the battle. Not a single soldier had been lost in the struggle, and she was happy to take numerous injuries and a long battle if the alternative was a death of a friend. Wounds could be mended with both time and magic, but a life could never be replaced. No victory was ever worth the loss of a comrade. "We pulled through, though... We always do."

"Thanks to you." Chrom answered with a nod, and he reached out to brush her bangs back behind her ear as she forced a smile at the compliment. She didn't look like she was willing to agree, but that much didn't really surprise him. She never was the type to enjoy compliments, but that had never stopped him from giving them out freely. It helped that the truth was on his side, as their victory had indeed been thanks to her tactical prowess.

To his surprise though, Skye didn't either deny or deflect the praise as she usually did. Her expression was subdued and troubled despite the victory, and at once Chrom felt himself worrying. The battle had been longer than most, and almost everyone who had participated in it had been wounded in some shape or form, but not nearly enough to warrant her mood. As he was about to press her, she cut him off with a quiet but honest, "How is Aversa managing?"

Hearing the concern allowed Chrom to put his own aside for the moment, and he looked out at the small area by the stairway that Lissa and the other healers were using as an impromptu infirmary. Aversa, along with the handful of others who had sustained the worst injuries were being attended to there, and though he couldn't see the former Plegian general, Chrom knew she was likely still being badgered to allow for healing. Lissa wasn't one to quail easily when someone protested treatment, and he was sure even in the face of Aversa's attitude, his sister would do just fine. He pulled a halfhearted smile as he answered Skye's question, "Wounded, and irritated, but Lissa will bully her into submission eventually... And she also accepted my offer to have her join our forces. She said that while she can't get her revenge on Validar, she will settle for Grima."

Skye smiled slightly, but there was no mirth behind her expression as she mused that Aversa's rage was well-warranted. Leaning further against the wall as she curled her arms about her stomach, she commented with a little bit of a shrug, "I'm glad to hear it, even if others will be a bit leery... Attitude aside, she's a capable soldier... We'll benefit greatly from her talents... And we can't really be picky about our allies at this point. This war has made for some very strange bedfellows as of late."

Chrom raised an eyebrow at the similar comment Aversa had made upon accepting his offer, but he wisely decided it would be best if he didn't draw attention to it. Instead, he cast his glance over to the spring that had been the core of the reason why Aversa had decided to turn her skills against the Fell Dragon she had helped to resurrect. She hadn't gone into detail about the things it had shown her, but from her haunted eyes and the way she had slumped in on herself once she had regained her calm... Chrom could well imagine something inside of the dark flier had been broken.

Yet, even for that pain that even the blind could see, Chrom also knew the spring was still casting out its lure to those in the army. The rumour that one could see the truth if they dared to look into the water was now confirmed as fact, and that would be a heady thing for those who were haunted by uncertainty. As he watched Skye studying her boots with that tight-lipped frown marring her features, he knew without a doubt that same uncertainty was rearing its head within her once more.

Despite his urge to be as blunt as he usually was, Chrom found himself hesitating to ask the question that was burning on his tongue. Though she put up a brave front, and only usually spoke blithely about her lack of memory, Chrom knew his wife better than anyone. She was troubled by her lack of a past, and the few details she did have were ones she usually wished she didn't know... but looking into her memory and knowing nothing was just as painful as what she had rejected from the outset, and those clashing desires had always torn her apart.

Treading carefully as he had no desire to either earn her ire or worse, upset her more than she already was, Chrom nodded towards the wellspring and mused in a quiet mutter, "Though it was obviously a painful experience for her, I suppose in a way, knowing the truth was freeing for Aversa. I can't say I'm upset now that she had such a tenacity for life if it means in the end, her surviving all of our former battles led her to discovering the truth and becoming our ally."

Skye didn't answer him, but he saw the way her arms tightened about her middle from the corner of his eye. She didn't look up from the ground, almost as if she was forcing herself not to, and Chrom almost sighed in exasperation. She could deflect much with her sarcasm and wit, but those who were close to her could easily see through her shields. Casting away subtlety as it hadn't done him much good as an opening move, Chrom instead turned to her completely and asked bluntly but not unkindly, "You want to look as well, don't you?"

Skye inhaled sharply, and she gritted her teeth audibly as she shied away from him like she was ashamed. Her chocolate-brown eyes darkened with emotion, and her grip on herself became firmer as if she was trying to keep herself from breaking apart. She made a sound deep in her throat, something between a grunt of frustration or a whimper of pain, but otherwise did not answer with an affirmation or denial.

It was enough for Chrom though, and he shook his head tiredly at her refusal to give him a concrete reply again. He reached out to brush her bangs behind her ear, and she cringed noticeably at his touch but didn't try to pull away when he continued with the caress. Emboldened by the knowledge that she wasn't closing off the subject even if she was clearly uncomfortable with it, Chrom continued on in a softer tone, "There's no need to look so guilty, you know. There's no real telling what the spring could show you if you looked, and considering all the questions you have to have about your past... It's really quite easy to see why you would want to in the first place."

Closing her eyes, Skye wasn't sure if she loved him for his understanding or hated him for it. It would have been easier if he had continued with the laughing dismissal he had given to the springs when they had first arrived, as at least then she would have had a concrete excuse to ignore her own temptations. With his understanding of what it could give to her though, now she had no defence save her own cowardice, and her pride would never allow that to be her only excuse.

She wanted to look, even if what she was shown would break her spirit and confirm every horrible thought she had ever entertained about the life she had lived before meeting him. She wouldn't lie and say she had never once mused about the life she could not recall, as for the first few months after being woken by him and Lissa, it had been all she had thought about. She knew certainly she had changed from who she had used to be even if she didn't recall her past, but in what ways and what degree, she couldn't much say. The curiosity was almost painful, and the hunger for certainty, to put all of her questions to rest once and for all, was terribly enticing.

Then, at the same time, she wanted nothing to do with her past life. What she could be shown could easily ruin everything she had worked to build, and she had no desire to have any more reasons to break from her family than she already had. It was difficult enough finding her resolve to stay with those who loved her when she was so ashamed of who she was and what she had been born into, and any more weight on her shoulders could very well break her completely. It was easier to live without knowing, because as long as she had her ignorance, her life with them could continue without trouble.

Sensing the struggle she was fighting so wordlessly, Chrom wasn't entirely sure what kind of comfort he could give to her, if any at all. He knew his place in the world, was confident that he had no questions that the spring could answer, but it wasn't the same for her. There was no real counsel he could give about if she should look or not, but he was adamant that she should at least have the choice without him swaying her one way or the other.

Rubbing the back of his neck with his good hand, Chrom cast a quick glance about their surroundings to ensure that their comrades were indeed still in the midst of repairing their gear or taking stock of their injuries. It was a busy and tired aftermath of a long battle, one that would likely last for the next little while, and that gave her more than enough time to do whatever she wished without being noticed. In that same calm and soft voice, Chrom pointed that out quietly, "The others are still rather busy at the moment... You have time to go and look, if that's what you want. It's doubtful we will be marching for the next couple of hours, so now would be your best chance."

Skye looked up, surprise written plainly across her features even though on some level she had known full well what Chrom had just told her. A small part of her mind asked why she was shocked, though she quickly understood that it was Chrom's gentleness that had been what surprised her. She knew even without him saying so that he wouldn't go with her, that he'd let her find her answers by herself if she wanted him to.

In those unspoken words, she also understood that he didn't care about what it was she'd find. She could discover the very worst things about herself and he wouldn't be troubled at all, at least not personally. He would care for her and her reactions, but it wouldn't change a thing about how he regarded her. He had proven that he was simply that type of man time and time again, and Skye still wasn't sure if she was disgusted or relieved for that kind of sincerity. "C... Chrom..."

"You can go and look, Skye. I won't stop you... and I'll be here waiting for you when you come back. No matter what it is you might see." Chrom confirmed her thoughts without preamble, and he smiled slightly at her wordless stare that showed her obvious bafflement. Shaking his head as he wondered how she could so often be caught off guard by him, Chrom mused that as well as she knew him, she still didn't seem to understand him at times. He couldn't help but chuckle, and he reached forward to run his knuckles along her cheek as he continued gently, "How many times do I have to reassure you that there's nothing that can be said or shown to me that will shake my faith in you? For someone so brilliant, you can sure be remarkably thickheaded at times, Skye."

Though she wanted those words to soothe her, and though they did somewhat, Skye couldn't help but refuse to let herself take the solace she was being offered. In a way, she recognized she was indeed being thick, perhaps even masochistic in a sense, but that didn't stop her from wishing he'd be a little more unforgiving with her. She supposed that it was because he was so openhearted that she was so ruthless with herself, because she could in so many ways hurt him despite the fact that she loved him so much. "But what if I see something... something horrible? There's no telling what kind of woman I used to be before you found me..."

"You could stand to have as much faith in yourself personally as you have in your skills." Chrom replied with a firm shake of his head, and he put his hand gently under her chin to force her to look up and meet his eyes. She was slumping in on herself again, already feeling the weight that he always was trying to relieve her of, and he wished she could see herself through his eyes if only to let her know she had no need to judge herself so harshly. "Skye, I know exactly what it is you'll see when you look into that spring. There's no doubt in my mind that you'll see the exact same woman I see every time I look at you."

"What?"

The confused disbelief in her voice only spurred him on to continue even though the words were likely ones she'd protest hotly once he had spoken them aloud. He didn't much care for her arguments, especially since he knew she needed to hear them even if only to boost her ragged remnants of self-esteem. Pulling her close, Chrom wrapped his arms fiercely about her thin frame and ignored the whine of protest his sprained shoulder gave from embracing her so tightly. Ducking his face against her hair even as she struggled slightly in embarrassed surprise, Chrom growled fervently into her ear, "You'll see a woman whose intelligence is only rivalled by her warm heart. You'll see a skilled tactician who loves her comrades above everything, and will do anything to keep them safe. You'll see a brave and determined woman willing to do anything to make the people she loves happy. The same woman who gave me two beautiful children that I'm so blessed to have... The woman who I gave my heart to the moment I laid eyes on her."

An intense wave of heat burned in her face at the words Chrom was speaking, but Skye found herself going completely still as the sincerity of his declaration burned through all of the layers of her doubt and self-hatred until she had no choice but to take them in. Her husband only ever spoke what he believed to be the truth, and she had never once doubted him. What he said now, as much as she wanted to protest and deny it, was simply the truth in his eyes... and that touched her more than anything.

Closing her eyes as a sharp hotness prickled in them, Skye pressed her face into his chest as she was torn between the urge to whack him and kiss him. She shook her head even though she knew denying him would really only make him angry, and her voice was tiny and shaky when she mumbled into his shirt, "You don't fight fair, Chrom... You don't fight fair at all."

"If telling the truth makes me a poor sport, than so be it. That's exactly who you are, and you're a fool if you doubt it. You can ask anyone else here, and I'll wager good coin they'll all tell you the same." Chrom answered in a low growl, and he was satisfied when she said nothing more in argument. She was a stubborn woman, but she seemed to know there was no winning this particular debate. Squeezing her a little more tightly, he nuzzled against her neck briefly before finally loosening his grip so he could lean back and see her expression.

Skye didn't pull away even when he slackened his arms, and Chrom couldn't help but smile a little as she kept her face buried in the front of his chest. He knew she didn't want him to see her real reaction to his words beyond her unhappy grumble, but he was willing to let her hide if it meant she was at least willing to believe half of what he'd told her rather than none. Freeing one arm from its home on her waist, Chrom reached up to run his fingers gently through her thick dark curls, and he sighed as she refused to move, "I love you."

"I love you, too, Chrom... As maddening as you can be on occasion." Skye answered softly, and she squeezed him close to her for a long beat before she finally allowed herself to let him go. He was smiling at her, an eyebrow raised and laughter on his lips at her inability to really let him get away with besting her in silence. Savouring that warmth that made it so painfully easy to love him when she wanted to be mad at him, Skye closed her eyes for a moment and cradled the pain and the indecision in her heart as she inhaled deeply and then let it go. Her voice was tired when she finally spoke, but underneath there was a new sort of clarity when she murmured, "Let's go back, Chrom... I want to see Morgan and Lucina."

Blinking, Chrom wasn't sure how to answer that as Skye let him go, took his hand in hers, then stepped away from him. He knew she meant what she was saying, she was speaking too firmly for him to think she was lying, but he couldn't completely admit to understanding where her resolve had come from. "Wh-What...? You don't...? What?"

Unable to help herself, Skye laughed softly at his obvious confusion at her unspoken decision. Squeezing his hand gently, she nodded and met his eyes to let him know she fully understood what she was saying and meant it without any hesitation. She explained with a painful smile that was both earnest with happiness and pained with what she was turning away, "I don't want to look. It's... better if I don't, I think. After all, you just said you don't care what lay in my past... and if you aren't bothered by it, why should I be?"

Seeing that he was about to protest, Skye stepped closer and stood on tiptoe to seal his lips with her own in a gentle but firm kiss. He stiffened in surprise, but she didn't let him have a chance to answer her before she was pulling away. She knew he would and she was happy for that, but she also was aware she'd lose her train of thought if she dared to deepen the embrace, and that wasn't something she could do just yet. As it was, she was breathless when she whispered against his lips, "I don't need the spring to tell me who I am if you're so firmly convinced about what I'll see. If you say that you know who I am, how can I not be satisfied with that?"

Her heart hurt even as she spoke, but it was a sweet sort of pain nonetheless as she let that dear part of herself go. What she said was the truth, and she meant every word as she turned her back on the questions she had wanted to answer. She didn't need to force her smile as she met the uncertain gaze of her husband and continued softly, "I turn my back on my past, Chrom... with a happy heart. You promised me a future... and I am more than satisfied with that."

Furrowing his brow, Chrom wasn't sure what to say as Skye watched him, waiting in silence for his answer. He wanted to press her, to make sure that she was absolutely certain with her choice, but the words caught in his throat and refused to make it out of his mouth. She was stubborn, and couldn't have arrived at her decision easily... but she had made it, and there was little chance she would be willing to change her mind now.

Exhaling slowly, Chrom allowed himself to nod as he took comfort in knowing that if she ever changed her mind the spring would not be going anywhere. He didn't say so, it would be pointless to draw attention to it considering she was too stubborn, but the thought was a blessing nonetheless and let him put it aside. He squeezed the hand that she was still holding onto like a lifeline and nodded a second time before agreeing quietly, "All right, if that's what you want, then I won't push you... And you're right, I did promise you a future. If you're content with that, then I'll do my best to ensure you have it."

"You best. There's still a son that needs to be born, you know. Lucina said she wasn't that much older than Morgan, and she's starting to tease me about whether I'm going to make her wait." Skye answered with a light giggle, and she was extremely pleased to see her husband's face burn red in response to her words. She had blushed brightly when her daughter had made the passing comment earlier, and she was glad to know she could do the same to Chrom about the exact same topic.

Chrom fumbled for words at the cheeky smile on his wife's face, and he was aware it had been her intention to dispel any and all lingering doubt with her teasing. It was a favourite tactic of hers to lift the mood, and he appreciated it more than ever as he smiled even as his face burned with embarrassment. He silently thanked his daughter for the playfulness she had inherited from her mother before turning it about with an amused, "Well, we can't have that. Once this war is over, I suppose that's just one more thing we'll need to get started on, won't we?"

Giggling again even as her body warmed at the thought, Skye let that last little bit of pain go at the prospect of what he was offering in the months to follow the peace they would assuredly win. She had no doubts that they would defeat Grima, that they would finally put an end to the pain and misery the Fell Dragon had wrought upon the world, and that they'd survive the battles to come. They had come through everything else together after all. "I'll be holding you to that, Chrom."

"I wouldn't expect anything less." Chrom answered with a chuckle of his own, and he squeezed her hand again before turning back with her to where their comrades all were gathered. He felt the same urge she was experiencing to see their children, and he intertwined his fingers with hers as he asked her gently, "Shall we? I'd rather like to see Lucina and Morgan just as much as you would right about now."

"Yeah... Let's go." Skye agreed, and she followed him as he led her about the wall and towards their comrades, away from the spring. The cool blue glow still stained the rock walls surrounding her, but she felt no more of that painful pull that had been haunting her since she had heard of its powers. She was content to look forward rather than back, as her life had started the moment Chrom and Lissa had woken her in the field rather than at any other time. She had her present, and her future... and that was enough for her.

**AN:**

**The biggest distinction between Skye and Cail as characters (beyond their genders, XD) is this. There are others, actually, there are a huge slew of differences between them, but this is really the biggest in my mind... Anyway, this distinction is likely because Cail has had much less time than Skye has to become "grounded" in the present, and invest in the future, since he only really started paying attention to such things once he met Tiki. Sigh... Poor Cail... I really messed him up without really meaning to, and I owe him an apology for that. I mean, seriously...**

**Ahem, but anyway... So, yes, before anyone notes it, I know that I'm writing some sickeningly sweet stuff, but considering that this is my first honest piece of work since I stopped writing around Christmas... It was extremely necessary. (Long story. Kind of stupid. Actually, REALLY stupid.) ATJ isn't on hold, it's about halfway done now, but it's taking me a little longer than usual to write my chapter. That stint really knocked ME for a loop, and I need some time to recover... Hence my exercises in oneshots and such in order to get back on track... I'll probably do one more oneshot before I start really diving back into ATJ... I'm thinking that LucinaxInigo one I've been playing with but have kind of let stagnate... We shall see.**

**PS: I like doing songfics, as I think it's been noticed, but after getting into so much trouble over Severa's songfic to Owain, I promised not to touch songfics on FFN anymore... But, all the same, I do have four songs that I use for SkyexChrom and CailxTiki respectively, and I wanted to show you what they were, just for fun. Skye's song to Chrom is "Head Over Feet" by Alanis Morissette, while Chrom's song to Skye is "Heaven's Dead" by Audioslave. Cail's song to Tiki is "All You Did Was Save My Life" by Our Lady Peace, and Tiki's song to Cail is "Bound To You" by Christina Aguilera. Doesn't that tell you a lot about how I write my romances? I have songs for my pairings. It makes sense to me, anyway! XD**

**Mood: Exhausted**

**Listening To: "Collide" - Howie Day**

**~ Sky**


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